Over 10 years of experience supporting 3000 singles and couples engaging in cross-border donor and surrogacy arrangements.
About us
Welcome to Growing Families
Growing Families was founded by dad via surrogacy, Sam Everingham, Our philosophy is to ensure intended parents understand their options, are prepared for their family building journey and supported along the way with practical advice and expert guidance.
We work with intended parents – Gay, Heterosexual and Singles from around the globe to educate and support their family building journey with donors and/or surrogates.
Growing Families are a research -oriented organisation. We partner with academics to design and complete research to inform policy and practice. Our extensive relationships with surrogates, parents, clinics, surrogacy agencies, family lawyers, egg banks, counsellors and government allows us to share their expertise and experience, to assist with your family building dreams.
Since 2011, Growing Families have assisted over 3000 singles and couples on their family building journey. Over 250 parents, surrogates and donors have shared their stories at our events in Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, Ireland, Sweden, and Hong Kong.
We support intended parents through webinars, seminars, conferences, and customised support. We aim to provide one place to source all the information needed to make building your family easier.
How We Operate!
our vision
Making complex family building easier for all.
our mission
Empowering those seeking surrogacy and donor IVF with exceptional support, education and global connections.
OUR FUNDING
Traditionally, we have generated the majority of funds from event sponsorship. As a not for profit, this allowed us to offer subsidised ticket to our events and to support intending parents with customised support and advice.
As we grow and support more Intending parents (IP) our new model focuses on concierge support and offering exceptional advice, care and support. Intended parents pay directly for this support. We do not accept commissions from third party agencies. Any recommendations made are based on Intended parents individual circumstances. We charge clinics, agencies and other relevant professionals sponsorship fees to attend our conferences and this enables us to provide subsidised tickets to Intended parents. These events help us to educate and support our community. We allow pre-vetted professionals to advertise on our website and to sponsor webinars on occasion. We maintain a not for profit arm which focuses on advocacy to make third-party family building safer and easier for all to navigate, research and community building, as a core component of the Growing Families identity. Our team values include Teamwork, Boldness, Integrity and Excellence.
RISK MITIGATION
Given ongoing instability in the surrogacy space globally, Growing Families are working behind the scenes to make cross-border family building safer for all. We have established an international advisory body and ethical standards. Ideally there would be an international accreditation system in place that monitors and audits agencies. In the interim we will continue to advise IP’s about risk mitigation which includes avoiding countries where there are no laws to protect them or surrogates. We are all about empowering those seeking surrogacy and donor IVF to create family in a safe and ethical way where the rights of surrogates, Intending parent and any future children, are paramount.
CONCIERGE SUPPORT
Growing Families operates a professional consultancy arm globally to advise & support intended parents based on their individual circumstances. Support and advice includes situation analysis, clinic and agency recommendations, access to counselling, budgeting, logistics, shipping, embryo creation and sperm freeze advice, paperwork and notary support, agency liaison, citizenship and passports support, legal referrals, peer support, exclusive video and podcast resources, fast-tracked responses to questions, travel and accommodation support.
